Breakfast Ice Cream

You hear that? That sound off in the distance getting louder and louder? That’s the world exploding (ka-BOOM) and the internets collapsing [whoooosh (that’s the sound of the internet collapsing by the way, I’m a low budget blog, sorry)] because I just officially made eating ice cream for breakfast a thing. Like for real for real. Who would have thought that all my dreams could eventually come true in one simple recipe? Certainly not me. We finally have an excuse to whip out a spoon and head to the freezer first thing in the morning. Ice cream first, coffee later. Let’s all rejoice! Let’s hold a breakfast ice cream block party to celebrate. I took all the things we love about the most important meal of the day and combined it into a delicious ice cream. Maple syrup and fluffy buttermilk waffles and crispy bacon. It’s one tasty ingredient after another. I can hardly contain the excitement. (That’s me excited). I wish I could make it rain breakfast ice cream because I want everyone in this world to try it, but sadly I can’t make it rain delicious tubs of frozen treats. The shame, it’s too much to bear. Let’s not talk about it anymore.

I’m not going to take all of the credit for this one because that would be wrong. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Not because of a guilty conscious or anything, but because I’d be in the doghouse. Sure I helped come up with some of the important parts of this recipe—and sure I was the one who actually made it and brought it to life—but it was in fact the brain child of my boyfriend. We all have him to thank for it. Thank you, Julian. He was super excited one night as he tried to convince me to make breakfast ice cream with waffles and bacon for my blog, because “bacon ice cream is a really big thing these days.” I did however, add the maple syrup part to the mix and named it breakfast ice cream. Or maybe it was him. I can’t really remember who thought of the name right now, at this very moment. Of course he’s yelling “likely story” out loud as I type this. Between you and I, though, I really think it was me who came up with the name, but who’s keeping track? (I am).

So here I am today, freezer filled with breakfast ice cream, moms and dads and doctors and nutritionists all upset with me because I’m advocating the eating of ice cream for breakfast. Go eat ice cream for breakfast, kids! I regret nothing, and do you want to know something? You won’t regret anything either once you actually try it for yourself. Let’s just say I’m a bad influence and call it a day. But doesn’t the prospect of reaching into the freezer for a pint of this delicious stuff sound inviting and exciting? Yeah, yeah it does. You can thank me later. Right now, you have waffles to make and bacon to crisp and maple ice cream to churn, and hungry friends and family to fend off, I mean to feed.

Ice cream can be a little daunting to make. Not to mention the whole “I need an ice cream maker” business. Yeah, that’s the downside of making ice cream. But the good news is that there are actually some reasonably priced ice cream makers out there. Find one online for cheap. If you have a B3 (Bed, Bath, and Beyond) near you, guess what…buy it with a coupon! They always have 20% coupons floating around. The best thing about them coupons is that even though they have expiration dates on them, they actually never expire. That’s a true fact. Believe me. They never expire. Which means you can use them for always. For forever. You can also use up to five coupons per transaction. Not on a single item of course (because that would be insane), but on five different items. There, don’t say I never teach you anything on here.

Let’s get to making some ice cream.

We’re going to develop the flavor of our maple syrup. This step is important, because it makes the maple syrup richer and better tasting. Pour it into a skillet or pot, bring it to a simmer, and cook until it has reduced slightly, about eight minutes.

**Note: I think it goes without saying, but just incase, make sure you use real maple syrup for this recipe. Don’t use that pancake “syrup” that’s all full of sugar and corn syrup. That won’t really work here. Also, look out for Grade B maple syrup, it has a better more developed flavor and taste. But if all you can find is Grade A, that’s okay. It’ll do.**

Once it has slightly reduced, pour it into a small container or bowl or measuring cup or something. Set it off to the side.

Pour the milk and heavy cream into a medium pot, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Do not boil!

We’re going to temper the eggs. What does that mean? Well thank you for asking, it means to bring the temperature of the eggs to the same temperature of the milk and cream. So whisk the egg yolks until they’re thick and slightly pale in color.

We temper these egg yolks by slowly pouring in a bit of the heated milk and cream, while whisking continuously. Then we’ll pour that mixture back into the milk and cream (in the pot), again while whisking.

**Note: If we were to just add the whisked egg yolks to the pot of milk and cream, they would most likely, cook and scramble. We don’t want that, so it’s important to temper the eggs first.**

Cook the ice cream base over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it has bubbled and thickened. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon and you can run your finger down the middle without the sauce running.

Remove from the heat and add the rest of the goodies. Throw in the maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.

Grab a large heat proof bowl and place a fine mesh strainer over it. Pour the cream through the strainer to catch any clumps or lumps.

Cover the ice cream base with plastic wrap by placing it directly onto the mixture so that it doesn’t form a skin.

Place it in the fridge and allow to chill for about 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

**Tip: I prefer to leave it overnight so that it’s super cold. That way it’ll ensure that the ice cream churns better. Make the base right before bed, pop it into the fridge and it’ll be good to go in the morning!**

Once the ice cream base has chilled, you can start by getting together the little nuggets of taste. We’re going to be adding crispy bacon to this ice cream so, cut some strips of bacon into small pieces and add it to a hot skillet, over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon pieces have crisped. Transfer to a plate, lined with paper towels to catch excess oil.

Now let’s make fresh buttermilk waffles because that’s what really takes this ice cream over the top. Fresh homemade buttermilk waffles. They’re easy to make. But of course you’ll need a waffle iron for it. Grab those B3 coupons again.

We start by mixing together the wet ingredients. Combine the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Whisk until completely smooth.

And now for the dry ingredients.

Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Throw the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined.

**Tip: You want to mix until the flour is just barely incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter because it will result in dry waffles.**

Pour a ¼ cup of the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook until the waffles are golden brown and crispy. Place them onto a cooling rack, set over a baking sheet.

Continue making waffles until all the batter is used up, placing the finished waffles on the wire rack so that they don’t turn soggy.

Allow them to cool down and then chop them into small squares. Bite sized waffles pieces so that they can go into the ice cream after we’re done churning it.

Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream machine. Follow the instructions that came with your ice cream maker. Mine requires the bowl to be frozen, before churning. Keep that in mind. The ice cream churned in about 20 to 25 minutes.

It should be thick and look like soft serve. It doesn’t necessary need to be completely frozen and super thick like normal ice cream. After this step, it needs to go back into the freezer for a few hours more to harden and firm up.

After it’s churned, we’re ready to add the bacon pieces and chopped up waffles. Add then fold them in.

You can pour the ice cream into an airtight freezer-safe container or use these disposable ice cream containers I found online! Get them here. I like them because it gives it the look of homemade ice cream. I mean it is homemade ice cream, but still. These containers will make sure people know.

Place the containers in the freezer (one last time, I’m sorry about the wait but it’s necessary) for a few hours to firm up and set. This step is important because the ice cream needs time to chill so you can scoop it later on. Of course you can sneak a few spoonfuls here and there to try it. Someone needs to clean the ice cream bowl, right?

Once a few hours have passed and the ice cream has firmed, you’re ready to eat it! Pile it high into a bowl, or scoop it into waffle cones because ice cream needs to be in waffle cones. They’re the best of friends.

Feel free to sprinkle the ice cream with a bit more of the waffle and bacon pieces. There can never be too much of either of those ingredients. The bacon in the ice cream will remain crispy and the waffle pieces will be soft and delicious. All of which is tied together nicely by the maple syrup ice cream itself. It’s like all the wonderful things we look forward to from breakfast. It smells like breakfast too, if that’ a thing. It’s a thing. Breakfast smells…well, like breakfast. And this ice cream has that breakfast smell for sure.

Now some of you might be a little skeptical about salty bacon in this maple syrup and waffle ice cream. Sure, it’s a little off and “out there” but I guarantee you, that it works. My mamma is totally against salty and sweet in the same dish. She hates when her savory breakfast items are touching the sweet breakfast items. Anyhow, I made her try this ice cream (with lots of persuading) and she loved it. So the moral of the story is that if my mamma likes this ice cream and is endorsing it (she’s not really endorsing it) then you too will like it. Give it a chance. It’s going to be your new favorite ice cream flavor.

I’ve learned two valuable lessons when making this ice cream, A) waffles make everything better. It’s a proven fact. Who proved it? I just did, with this ice cream. Keep up. Buying a waffle iron was the best thing I’ve ever done. If there was ever an earthquake or natural disaster here, I’d only grab my waffle iron as I ran out the door for safety. The important things in life. It’s all about priorities. The second thing I learned is B) that ice cream should always be eaten for breakfast. Always. So let’s all whip up a batch of this Breakfast Ice Cream and eat it as soon as we wake up. I’m Jonathan Melendez and I approve this message.

Breakfast Ice Cream

2014-05-20 23:09:09

It's all the things we love about breakfast but in ice cream form. Maple syrup ice cream base, mixed with homemade buttermilk waffles and crispy bacon. Finally, an excuse to eat ice cream for breakfast!

Pour the maple syrup into a small sauce pot and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

In a medium pot, heat the milk and heavy cream until just simmered. Do not boil. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl until thick and pale in color. Temper the eggs by adding a few ladles of the hot milk and cream while whisking continuously. Then pour the egg-milk mixture back into the rest of the milk and cream, whisking continuously. Cook until the mixture has thickened, continuing to stir. You'll know it's ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer to catch any lumps. Cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly onto the ice cream base to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy and browned. Drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to catch any excess grease.

To make the waffles: Mix together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. In a separate bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour ¼ cup of the batter into a hot waffle iron and cook the waffles until golden brown and crispy. Place the cooked waffles on a wire rack to cool. Cut the waffles into bite sized pieces.

Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions until the ice cream is fully churned. Fold in the crispy bacon and waffle pieces. Pour into ice cream containers or freezer safe airtight containers. Chill for a few hours until firm. Scoop into bowls or serve with waffle cones, sprinkled with bacon and waffle pieces. Enjoy!

Yes, thank you, Julian. As I type this, it is morning, and I am drinking a cup of coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream because I ran out of real cream. So, ice cream for breakfast is definitely a thing, although your version is a million times better. Next up, breakfast ice cream sandwiches. I’m thinking sandwiched between a doughnut bun…

I actually put ice cream on my waffles when I eat them at home, so may as well mix it all in! this reminds me of a flavor of ice cream we have here in SF at a place called Humphry Slocombe – they do a Secret Breakfast flavor with bacon!

Hello! I’m excited to make this ice cream, but I’m a little confused by the recipe. In the first step, you say to add the syrup, salt, vanilla and melted butter to the cream/egg mixture. Is the melted butter a typo? I don’t see it in the ice cream ingredients, nor is there vanilla in that list. I put a teaspoon of vanilla and left out the butter, as it seemed suspicious. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Melanie, Thank you so much for catching that typo. You’re right, there’s no vanilla or melted butter in the ice cream base itself. I meant that to be for the waffle batter….don’t know why I typed that in the ice cream directions! Disregard, and you’ll be good!